CampusReport U N I V E R S I T Y O F DAY TO N Vol. 34, No. 1 / Sept. 1, 2006
UDRI at
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news&notes
Fran Evans, advancement VP, to step down by June Fran Evans, who helped to create a stronger national image for the University of Dayton, more than triple annual philanthropic support and offer more innovative alumni programming in her 13-year tenure as vice president for advancement at the University of Dayton, will step down by June 2007. UD is launching a national search for her replacement. In a part-time role, Evans will serve as special assistant to the president, focusing on strategic planning and fundraising. The catalyst behind the University of Dayton’s record-breaking $158 million image-raising and fundraising campaign that ended in 2002, Evans more than tripled giving on an annual basis from $8.8 million in 1993 to $28.8 million in gifts and pledges today. One out of four alumni supports his or her alma mater financially. That places UD fourth among national Catholic universities, behind the University of Notre Dame, Georgetown University and Boston College. “She professionalized the advancement division at the University of Dayton,’’ said Daniel J. Curran, president. “She’s an extraordinary fundraiser. ... I’m very happy that she’s agreed to stay on as an adviser. She will continue to provide strategic counsel and engage alumni and friends in supporting the vision of UD.” Evans In all, UD raised more than $240 million during Evans’ tenure. She worked closely with staff to start or augment programs that helped to involve more alumni in the life and mission of the University, develop a national giving program and attract national media attention. During her tenure, the number of alumni chapter cities across the nation grew greatly from 19 to 33. Christmas off Campus, a spin-off of the highly popular Christmas on Campus celebration, expanded from an annual event in St. Louis to a tradition in nearly every alumni chapter. As a member of UD’s presidential search committee, she also helped recruit Curran. Evans also helped improve the campus climate for women and proposed a mentorship program for women from all levels of the University. When she joined UD, she was the only female vice president. Today, the administrative ranks include two female vice presidents and four deans. In 2001, Evans was named one of the Dayton Daily News’ Ten Top Women. In 1997, she was named fundraiser of the year by the Miami Valley chapter of the National Society of Fund Raising Executives. Since 1993, UD’s advancement division staff won nearly two dozen national awards for publications, national media relations, e-marketing, special events and alumni programming from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. The New Orleans native said she is looking forward to a short sabbatical before returning to campus in a new role that “will give me an opportunity to do what I like at a place I love. We’re extremely well-positioned. We’ve built the infrastructure and our capacity to be as excellent as we can be.”
FY ’06: UD books $28.8 million in gifts and pledges
Coming out of the Call to Lead Campaign in fiscal year 2002, the University’s goal was to maintain an annual philanthropic base of $18 million-$20 million. During fiscal year 2006, the University of Dayton recorded $28.8 million in gifts and pledges, an increase of more than 20 percent from 2005. Other highlights of fiscal year giving in 2006: n Alumni giving participation reached 25.1 percent and yielded $11.9 million. n Gifts from foundations, corporations and other organizations totaled $7.3 million, an increase of 19.2 percent. n Twenty-six bequests from alumni, faculty and friends totaled $6.4 million and will enrich endowed scholarships and supplement schoolbased discretionary funds. n Telefund operations, representing efforts by a team of UD student callers, raised more than $1.1 million in gifts and pledges. n Online giving increased 250 percent to $168,957. n Nineteen new scholarships were established to benefit students studying in all areas of the University. n Four new program endowments were created to enhance innovation and entrepreneurship in the School of Business Administration, sustain the University archives, and support studies to promote nonviolence in conflict resolution.
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Welcome new colleagues at Sept. 8 faculty meeting
The fall faculty meeting will be held at 3 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 8, in Kennedy Union Boll Theatre. A reception to welcome new members of the faculty will follow in the Torch Lounge. The list of new faculty colleagues appears at
http://universityofdayton.blogs.com/newsinfo/2006/08/meet_the_new_fa.html.
Chairs, directors appointed
Academic appointments for 2006-07 include new department chairs and program directors. They are: Jayne Robinson, biology; Mark Masthay, chemistry; David Darrow, international
studies and human rights; Francisco Peñas-Bermejo, languages; Mark Ensalaco, Roesch Chair in Social Sciences; Robert Brecha, Mann Chair in Sciences; Nancy Mohan, economics and finance; Patrick Sweeney, engineering management and systems (interim chair effective January 2006); and Philip Anloague, doctor of physical therapy program.
Cover photo: A model of buckyball molecules in a lab at the University of Dayton Research Institute, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary. UDRI’s work with carbon-based nanomaterials, such as buckyballs and nanotubes, has contributed to its No. 2 ranking nationally among colleges and universities for industry-and government-funded materials research. See stories, Page 8.
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Campus Report Sept. 1, 2006
Campus Report, distributed the first Friday of every month during the first two terms of the academic year, is published by the public relations office for University of Dayton faculty and staff. E-mail news digests are sent every Thursday. Deborah McCarty Smith, editor Larry Burgess, photographer Frank Pauer, designer
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Islam, immigration and race up for discussion during Distinguished Speakers Series
A female author who has received death threats for openly challenging a woman’s place in Islam, an author who thinks immigration hurts Americans and a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist highlight the 2006-07 University of Dayton Distinguished Speakers Series. The series began with Bill McKibben, author of Enough: Staying Human in an Engineered Age, who spoke to incoming firstyear students Aug. 19. (See story, Page 7). All upcoming Distinguished Speaker Series events will be held at 8 p.m. in the Kennedy Union ballroom and are free and open to the public. Other speakers include: n Wednesday, Oct. 18, Frosty Wooldridge: Wooldridge biked more than 100,000 miles on six continents. He is working on three books — Incursion into America: How Immigration Adversely Affects American Citizens; Zero Visibility: a Blind Man’s Quest for the Summit of Everest, a nonfiction account by Pasquale Scaturro, the man who organized and led blind climber Eric Weihenmayer to the top of Mt. Everest; and When Your Father Left Too Soon, a nonfiction account of young men who have lost their fathers to an early death. n Wednesday, Nov. 15, Marci Hamilton: Hamilton advises Congress and state legislatures on the constitutionality of pending legislation and consults on cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. Hamilton worked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and just finished writing God vs. the Gavel: Religion and the Rule of Law. n Wednesday, Feb. 7, Leonard Pitts Jr.: Pitts won a 2004 Pulitzer Prize for commentary and is a Miami Herald columnist who writes about American race issues and popular culture. n Tuesday, March 6, Asra Nomani: Nomani, a former Wall Street Journal reporter, wrote Standing Alone in Mecca: An American Woman’s Struggle for the Soul of Islam, “An Islamic Bill of Rights for Women in the Mosques” and “An Islamic Bill of Rights for Women in the Bedroom.”
Author of Reading Lolita in Tehran opens UD’s 2006-07 Diversity Lecture Series Azar Nafisi, author of the international bestseller Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books, will kick off the University of Dayton’s 2006-07 Diversity Lecture Series at 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 14, in the Kennedy Union ballroom. Nafisi, visiting professor at John Hopkins University and director of The Dialogue Project: Culture and Democracy in the Muslim World and the West, will address “The Republic of the Imagination.” Nafisi was expelled from the University of Tehran in 1981 for refusing to wear the mandatory Islamic veil and did not resume teaching until 1987. Reading Lolita recounts how Nafisi gathered young women in her home every Thursday morning to read and discuss forbidden works of Western literature. “I have often asked myself: How is it that under the worst political and social conditions, during war and revolution, in jails and in concentration camps, most victims turn toward works of imagination?” Nafisi wrote in a piece published in The Washington Post “Book World” in 2004. Other speakers include: n National Public Radio corresponNafisi dent Joseph Shapiro, 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 8, Kennedy Union ballroom. Shapiro, who wrote the 1993 book, No Pity: People with Disabilities Forging a New Civil Rights Movement, covers health, aging, disability, and children and family issues for NPR. For 19 years, he wrote for U.S. News & World Report, where he covered social policy issues and served at various times as the magazine’s Rome bureau chief, White House correspondent and congressional reporter. n Educator and humanitarian Johnnetta Betsch Cole, 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 15, venue to be anShapiro nounced. Cole is the president of Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, N.C. In 1987 she became the first African-American woman to serve as president of Spelman College. She will keynote the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. annual holiday celebration and presidential banquet, co-sponsored by UD and the Dayton Chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Cole also will headline UD’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. prayer breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 16, in the Kennedy Union ballroom. n Rwandan hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20, Cole Kennedy Union ballroom. Rusesabagina turned the hotel he managed into a sanctuary and saved more than 1,000 people during the Rwandan genocide in 1994. He received the National Civil Rights Museum’s 2005 Freedom Award, and his heroism inspired the movie Hotel Rwanda. Other noteworthy speakers will visit campus this semester, including: n Gloria Ladson-Billings, past president of the American EducaRusesabagina tional Research Association who holds the Kellner Family Chair in Urban Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She will address “What if We Leave All the Children Behind?” at 4:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 2, in the Sears Recital Hall at the annual Ellis Joseph Lecture. n Edward P. Jones, author of The Known World, a novel about slavery that won the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for fiction, who will speak at 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 23, in the Kennedy Union ballroom. The lecture is sponsored by the Lawrence A. Ruff Honors Author Program.
For more news, see http://universityofdayton.blogs.com/newsinfo/ Sept. 1, 2006 Campus Report
news&notes
UD family picnic adds Flyer FanFest and football
Bye, Benisek
The annual faculty-staff family picnic will be held from from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, at the UD Arena East Wing – B lot. The picnic will be followed by the UD football game vs. Morehead State. Activities include corn hole, a football toss, pictures taken with Rudy, and autograph signings by UD student athletes. Food will be served and door prizes will be given. The UD marching band and cheerleaders will appear at noon. Registration packets will include a soccer bag with tickets to the game, wrist bands, and a raffle ticket for each UD employee upon checkin. The event is free but R.S.V.P.s are requested. Contact Joyce.Zanini@notes.udayton.edu or call 229-2416.
Class of 2010 enters UD 1,749 strong
The University of Dayton enrolled 1,749 entering first-year students in August — just one student shy of its goal of 1,750. The class of 2010 had average SAT scores of 1161 and average ACT scores of 25.4, down slightly from last year’s average scores of 1167 and 25.5., respectively. The University accepted 78.7 percent of the 9,052 students who applied for places in the first-year class. More than 61 percent of the class comes from Ohio, followed by Illinois (10.7 percent) and Indiana (4.4 percent). Student diversity remains a challenge for the University. African-Americans comprise 2.6 percent of the class; Hispanics, 1.8 percent; Asian and Pacific Islanders, 1.4 percent; international students, 0.9 percent; and Native Americans, 0.2 percent.
Benisek Hall is one of four campus buildings being demolished. The Ballard and Magin buildings on Irving Avenue and the structure at 1538 Brown St. (once known as the Tangent building) are also slated to be torn down. UD’s public safety and parking offices have moved from Benisek to College Park Center. Fitz Center staffers who occupied Ballard have moved to Zehler Hall, and the upholsterer who was a tenant in Ballard has retired. What’s coming? Grass for the Benisek and Irving Avenue sites and additional parking on Brown while the campus land use plan is being developed. In the meantime, Rudy’s Fly-Buy customers have a great view of the RecPlex from the patio. About half the class attended public high schools; the other half attended Catholic or other private high schools. Men outnumber women slightly: 877 to 872.
New trustees named
The University of Dayton has named five business and community leaders to its board of trustees for three-year terms. They are: Richard Abdoo, retired chairman and chief executive officer of Wisconsin Energy
Moody’s outlook for UD: stable
Moody’s Investors Service, in a July 10 news release, in indicating that “Moody’s is affirming the A2 underlying rating on the University’s $261.7 million of rated debt” said that “the University’s rating outlook is stable.” This rating and Standard & Poors’ “A” rating of the University “reflect the continued stability of UD,” said Thomas E. Burkhardt, vice president for finance and administrative services. “In light of the construction projects that we have financed through bond issues in the last several years, the ratings reflect well on the efforts of the University and its stewardship of resources.” The Moody’s release elaborated both financial strengths and financial challenges for UD. Strengths include “growth of financial resources,” “consistently positive operating performance and adequate debt service coverage,” and “diversification of revenue base … as a result of healthy gift flow and grant and contract revenue garnered
Campus Report Sept. 1, 2006
Corp.; Frank Geraci, president-elect of the National Alumni Association board of directors and a Monroe County (New York) Court judge; Susan Kettering, vice president and a trustee of the Kettering Family Foundation in Dayton; Peter Luongo, retired president and CEO of the Berry Co. in Dayton and director of UD’s Center for Leadership and Executive Development; and David P. Yeager, vice chairman of the board and CEO of Hub Group, the nation’s largest intermodal marketing company.
by the University of Dayton Research Institute.” The generosity of UD’s donors and the success of UDRI are subjects of stories elsewhere in this issue. Challenges identified by Moody’s were “leveraged position … from a balance sheet perspective … and operating perspective” and “strong competition from other Catholic institutions in Ohio and nationally, as well as a high number of other private and public universities in Ohio.” Among the factors Moody’s identified that could raise UD’s rating would be improvements in UD’s rates of freshmen selectivity and matriculation. For the fall 2005 entering class, those rates were 79.5 percent and 28.7 percent, respectively. The rating could be hurt by significant additional borrowing without growth in income as well as by “sustained deterioration of student market position or operating performance.”
Reading the signs of the times President Curran will lead UD through 2012 (Editor’s Note: The University of Dayton’s board of trustees solicited feedback from administrators, faculty and students and hired a higher education consultant to help structure a new contract that will keep Daniel J. Curran at the helm through 2012. Dan Sadlier, chair of the board, led the process.) Q: How have your perceptions of UD changed since becoming president? What have you learned? A: The extent of UD’s civic commitment has exceeded my expectations, along with the role the larger community wants UD to play as a servant-leader. Curran Brother Ray, with many others, established that tradition. Secondly, the relationship UD enjoys with alumni went well beyond my expectation. Students arrive on campus and are connected throughout their lives. Our alumni want the best for this institution. Thirdly, the level of research and the faculty’s commitment to teaching are understated, and, I think, underappreciated. The research effort is unparalleled, compared to the majority of institutions in the country, and we have a tremendous faculty. Q: What do you hear from alumni when you’re on the road? A: I hear their memories of living in the student neighborhood, how faculty or staff helped them, how the Marianists helped shape their faith lives. Many of them are interested in spirituality five, 10, 20 years after leaving UD. The Marianists had that kind of an impact on their lives. They always express a willingness to do more for the community here, to help UD extend its reputation. And they want to know about basketball. Q: What do you think your legacy will be? Father Roesch transformed UD from a commuter school to a residential one with a national reach. Brother Ray built UD into a community partner and a national leader. What will be your tagline? A: When I read the history of the Marianists, I was impressed with their ability to be forward-thinking people, to read the signs of the times. My challenge is to effectively read the signs of the times and make decisions that
will help make the University of Dayton an even greater institution. The acquisition of the NCR property is very important for our future. Our engagement globally is critical. We need to continue to play a strong role within the Catholic church, particularly on contemporary faith and culture issues. And we must provide students with practical knowledge and practical wisdom to make contributions in contemporary society. Reading the signs of the times is an important part of Marianist history, but it can’t be my vision alone. Others in the campus community should feel empowered to help transform the University of Dayton to meet the needs of the times. That’s always been our mission. Q: It’s no secret that you love hanging out with students. Why do they energize you so much? A: When the students return to campus, there’s just a flow of energy. When they’re not here, it feels hollow. UD students are very open, they bring new ideas, they’re questioning, they’re bright — and they want to make a difference. I’m relatively approachable, and so are they. They articulate their concerns in a very direct fashion. When I attend their events or service activities, they re-energize me and remind me of our mission. We are creating an environment of integrated learning and living in community that will prepare the future generation of servant-leaders.
Across the academic units, I can point to a number of strong programs — DECA, Lalanne, finance, entrepreneurship and the “lawyer as problem solver” curriculum — for example. The Marianist Education Working Group is discussing the general education requirements, and those changes will significantly impact the entire curriculum. The School of Engineering is also planning a redesign of its curriculum and launching an Innovation Center. I’m reluctant to point to any one program because there are so many efforts going on in each of the schools. The real key is collaboration between the schools. Our faculty and deans have demonstrated their ability to cross boundaries. That’s what needs to happen in higher education. That’s part of our distinctiveness. Q: What do we need to do differently to increase diversity on campus? A: If you look at the statistics, our situation is similar to the majority of Catholic institutions that are not located on either coast, but we have a long way to go. We need adequate financial aid and a marketing strategy to make sure students of color know more about the University of Dayton. This year, we offered more aid to minority students than last year, but we lost students to other institutions who offered full rides. The competition for recruiting students of color is extremely high. Besides racial and ethnic diversity, we also need to concentrate on socio-economic diversity. As the price of a UD education goes up, we have to realize that we are placing ourselves out of the range of a significant segment of the population. We have to be vigilant about providing more need-based aid. Raising money for scholarships will be a major focus of the next campaign. We also should look at diversity in the broadest way. We’re establishing relationships with universities in China, Thailand and Europe. A dozen students from China started classes this summer. Their impact on all UD students will be enormous. We must increase diversity on campus because the world our students will enter is diverse. It’s a global workplace. —Teri Rizvi
‘UD has allowed me to be a president in an environment that uses my best qualities.’
Q: You are comfortable here, aren’t you? A: UD has allowed me to be a president in an environment that uses my best qualities. I’m committed to service and justice. It’s a great match.
Q: What are the top programs that give UD the potential to secure greater national reputation? A: It’s not individual programs. It’s the overlap of programs. Programs that require collaboration between the academic units provide tremendous opportunity for building reputation, such as bio-engineering, nanotechnology and technology commercialization. This is where we will make our mark.
Sept. 1, 2006 Campus Report
ANNA SEXTON
Turn students on to science — through civic engagement
At a time when solving Fouke (philosophy), Kelly some of the world’s most Williams (biology), and Bencomplex challenges requires son attended the institute an increased understanding held at Santa Clara University of science, fewer U.S. college in San Jose, Calif., in August. students are interested in Working through the Rivers studying science beyond the Institute, which is housed in basic requirements. UD’s Fitz Center, the team “Traditional means of plans to develop an introducteaching science turn stutory-level course, possibly for dents off because they don’t teacher education majors, get to see what scientists on understanding the Great do,” said Paul Benson, assoMiami River’s ecosystem and ciate dean in the College of its social implications. Arts and Sciences. “But civic Through the Rivers Instiengagement can be a powertute, in partnership with the ful way to draw students Miami Conservancy District into science.” and Five Rivers MetroParks, The opportunities for civic engagement offered by UD’s Rivers Institute could draw The opportunities for UD is working to build students into science. civic engagement offered by collaborative community UD’s Rivers Institute could help turn the tide education, SENCER is funded by the National partnerships to promote, protect and preserve and help students plunge into science. Science Foundation and supports the developthe water resources of the Great Miami River That’s the hope of an interdisciplinary team ment of courses and programs that teach basic watershed. of UD faculty members who were invited to science and mathematics through what it calls Benson said the team is submitting an participate in a summer institute sponsored by “complex, capacious and unsolved public implementation grant to SENCER and hopes SENCER — Science Education for New Civic issues.” to launch the course by fall 2007. The course Engagements and Responsibilities. A national Team leader Don Pair (geology), Brother would include a service-learning component, reform effort to improve undergraduate science Raymond L. Fitz, S.M., (Fitz Center), Dan possibly an after-school environmental educa-
Faculty explore ways to enhance and encourage undergraduate research A team of University of Dayton faculty members who attended an institute sponsored by the Council on Undergraduate Research came away enthused about the transformative power of undergraduate research. Or as Don Polzella, associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences, described it, “we were as high as kites.” The institute, “Mentorship, Collaboration and Undergraduate Research in the Social Sciences and Humanities,” held in July at Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts, brought together teams of faculty and administrators from eight universities around the country. Fran Pestello, chair of the sociology, anthropology and social work department, led the UD team that also included Art Jipson (criminal justice studies), Sister Laura Leming, F.M.I. (sociology), and Grant Neeley (political science). UD participants focused on enhancing undergraduate research opportunities on campus and worked with a mentor, Herb Childress, a Mellon Teaching Fellow and former director of the writing program at Duke University, to develop a strategic plan. The team drafted a mission statement for undergraduate research and an action plan that recommends a Stander-like symposium for the social Campus Report Sept. 1, 2006
sciences and publishing a review of undergraduate research from all disciplines. They also plan to talk to faculty on campus and develop a database on undergraduate research and lessons learned. They learned about different models of undergraduate research and ways to mentor students and manage faculty workload constraints. “Emphasizing undergraduate research complements UD’s focus on increasing academic excellence,” Polzella said, citing documents such as “A Vision of Excellence” and “Habits of Inquiry and Reflection: A Report on Education in the Catholic and Marianist Tradition at the University of Dayton.” “Undergraduate research should permeate the academic and intellectual culture of the institution.” He added that inquiry-based knowledge that serves to better the community is also a good fit with UD’s tradition of service. Pestello’s department is discussing moving the senior seminar in sociology from group research projects to having all majors complete an individual research project. She found the workshop “helpful to think through what we have been doing and taking it to a new level.” The University as a whole, she said, is well positioned to encourage undergraduate research. “We have all the pieces in place, including the Stander Symposium. If we want to showcase research, we’re primed.”
Research, they believe, will benefit all undergraduates, not only those going on to graduate school. Undergraduate research, as defined by the council, is “an inquiry or investigation conducted by an undergraduate student that makes an original, intellectual or creative contribution to the discipline.” Such efforts “help develop informed and creative citizens who can make prudent judgments and decisions, based on clear, critical thinking,” Polzella said. “Research is the centerpiece of most of the jobs that college-educated workers will fill,” Pestello said, noting that it teaches the ability to ask and answer questions, share and present results, write clearly and respond to challenges. For faculty, encouraging undergraduate research entails “more messiness, more risk of failure,” she said. “It’s not as neat and clean getting students to the end of the semester as lectures and exams are.” But the potential rewards — including being challenged by students asking tough questions and the opportunity to share one’s own research — are worth the effort, they believe. “I don’t see a downside,” Polzella said. “In our hearts, we know we could all be doing a better job in the classroom. Undergraduate research is one way to do that.”
tion program on the river with elementary school students. “Down the road, we hope to develop a higher-level course on research projects related to the river,” Benson said, noting that the River Stewards — UD students who are participating in an interdisciplinary, community-based initiative through the Rivers Institute — will be included in designing the courses. “I see the SENCER approach to science education as a new and innovative way to address the challenge of finding the right balance between coverage and content in introductory science classes,” Pair said. “We hope to be able to send additional teams to next summer’s SENCER institute to continue these curricular discussions.”
The SENCER summer institute included 188 participants from 53 institutions in 26 states, and Benson said that many participants were looking at complex issues related to their region. One university, for example, was developing a course related to a nearby abandoned military base that is a Superfund site. SENCER also disseminates model courses that connect science education and complex civic issues, addressing topics as varied as bird migration, energy use, natural catastrophes, water quality and toxic brownfields. Writing across the curriculum, interdisciplinary approaches, learning communities, team teaching and undergraduate research are among the features of courses SENCER selects as models. “It’s a great fit for UD,” Benson said.
Among the lessons he learned: “You can do a lot more daring science in introductory courses with students, even if they don’t have traditional scientific backgrounds. There are still ways they can learn,” he said. “We also need to look at our science curriculum in a multidisciplinary way. The prejudice is that science is impenetrable to people outside science.” But many of the best contributors to teams on some SENCER projects have been non-science majors who were creative problem solvers. By focusing on contested issues and encouraging students to address pressing civic questions, SENCER advocates helping students overcome both “unfounded fears and unquestioning awe of science.” For more, see http://www.sencer.net.
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Author: How big is big Enough?
When author Bill McKibben talks about humans getting bigger, he’s limits on their behavior.” not talking about obesity. He’s talking about the ever-growing human If the natural world were part of how you understood yourself, McKibscale, the ballooning sense of self-centeredness and individualism that ben reasoned, you wouldn’t fish out every river or cut down every tree. destroys community. If your relationship with God were such that you truly understood the “How big should humans be? What’s the right size for us as a spedictum “do unto others,” you wouldn’t drive an SUV, understanding that cies?” he asked the audience of first-year students and faculty and staff the fossil fuels you were burning were contributing to global warming. members, who as part of the first-year reading project had read his book In the past 50 years, Americans’ sense of satisfaction with their lives Enough: Staying Human in an Engineered has declined markedly, while their standard of living has Age. McKibben, scholar-in-residence tripled. “People feel a deep loss of community and connection at Middlebury College in Vermont, with other people that drives their sense of dissatisfaction,” he launched UD’s 2006-07 Distinguished said. Speakers Series. That yearning for community offers possibilities for solving “Scale is becoming the pre-eminent some dilemmas, including preventing global warming from question of our age,” he said, noting getting worse, which will require “an immediate 70 percent human activity’s links to global warmworldwide reduction in fossil fuel use,” a goal that technology ing and climate change. During the past alone can’t meet. “We have to include the technology of comdecade, he said, the planet’s temperamunity — the ability of working to overcome hyperindividualture has increased 1 degree, and nine ism.” years have been the warmest on record The average Western European uses half as much energy — observations that few sweltering in the as the average American, he said, in part because Europeans Frericks Center on Aug. 19 were inclined are willing to pay higher taxes to create vibrant cities that Author Bill McKibben sat in on one of the to dispute. draw people together and to support and use efficient mass “Computer modeling indicates unless discussion groups that followed his lecture. transportation systems. McKibben also advocated supporting Students offered their viewpoints on the risks local agriculture, not only because it avoids the energy costs we make large changes quickly in how and promises of germline genetic engineering incurred when “the average bite of food travels 1,500 miles we power the world, by the end of the that McKibben explores in Enough. before it reaches your lips,” but also because farmers’ markets century we may have increased the tembuild community. perature of the planet by 4 to 5 degrees,” The answer to making ourselves smaller again “in every case has resulting in sea levels rising enough “to probably put 150 million people something to do with community,” he said, telling the students they were out of their homes and turn them into environmental refugees,” he said. uniquely situated to tackle the question. “You have four years to be living “Our current troubles stem from a feature of the modern psyche: our in a tight community. If you’re lucky and wise, you’ll take advantage to extreme sense of individualism.” be engaged in the deepest form of community — working with others The message “You’re the most important thing on Earth. You’re the engaged in a common purpose. … center of everything,” is repeatedly reinforced in media, he said. “We’re “Make that one of your courses. Hold up your assumptions about so used to that idea we’ve come to think of it as human nature.” But for individuality and community to the light of your critical thinking. If you most of human history, people had something other than themselves end up finding that community is a wonderful gift, go forth, figuring at the center of their identity — their community, their tribe or their out how to build community in the larger world that needs it more than relationships with God and with nature. anything.” Such relationships were useful, “because they allowed people to set
Sept. 1, 2006 Campus Report
Research Institute’s 50 years of risk taking yields rewards For the past 50 years, the University of Dayton Research Institute has maintained a relatively low profile — sometimes because of the often confidential nature of its research, other times out of humility. But that’s changing as UDRI gains prominence for its problems solved, technology brought to market and No. 2 ranking among the nation’s colleges and universities for materials research funded by industry and government. Also remarkable is UDRI’s growth spurt: In just seven years, the Institute has nearly doubled its business — from $37 million in 1999 to a projected $70 million this year. “We’ve created an environment that encourages risk taking by our researchers so they can move the organization forward,” said Mickey McCabe, vice president for research and UDRI’s executive director. “Now it’s contagious. Everyone here wants to see what they can do to bring new work to the Institute.” Sponsored research began in 1949 with a request from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base that paid UD math faculty and students $10,200 to interpret raw data on aircraft wear and tear. At first, UD’s Marianist administrators weren’t sure whether a Catholic university focused on undergraduate teaching should be involved in sponsored research. Brother Austin J. Holian, S.M., UD’s business manager and an electrical engineer, persuaded his brothers that sponsored research would help the University update academic programs, keep abreast of developing technology and gain additional funding. In 1952, UD hired its first five full-time researchers, who pulled up stakes for several risky, classified projects to study the effects of nuclear weapons on aircraft and aircraft components after atomic bomb detonation tests in Nevada. UD earned accolades for this work, and by 1956, with an annual research volume of $1 million and 20 projects under contract, most with the federal government at Wright-Patterson, UD
UDRI
established the Research Center, later renamed the Research Institute. Noting that the Marianist culture is one of service, UDRI’s current director John Leland said, “UD’s very practical nature caused its leaders to say, ‘If we really want to help out the Air Force and serve our nation, we need a formal organization to be as responsive as we can be.’ So it was agreed that was the way to go.” After some 30,000 contracts, UDRI researchers have studied ceramics for orthopedic implants; advanced rare-earth permanent magnets for highfidelity speakers, miniature motors and quartz watches; tested high-temperature materials for space vehicles; created birdstrike-resistant aircraft windshields and structures; invented “phase change” materials that stay hot or cold longer; prevented disasters by studying shock-absorbing materials that stop aircraft from overshooting
See History, Page 10
Faculty and UDRI collaboration builds synergy Tops on Dilip Ballal’s “to-do” list after joining the University of Dayton Research Institute in 1983 was getting UD faculty excited about sponsored research. “We energized faculty, who generated new knowledge in fuels and combustion, solved applied problems and transferred this knowledge to students, who brought fresh ideas to the research,” said Ballal, who heads UDRI’s energy and environmental engineering division and holds a joint appointment as the Hans von Ohain Distinguished Professor in mechanical and aerospace engineering. “This synergy had a snowball effect that strengthened UD’s teaching and UDRI’s research.” Ballal’s statement is modest: Faculty and UDRI researchers under his watch collaborated in 2003 to win UDRI’s largest contract focused on a single technology — $31.5 million from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to improve conventional jet fuels and develop advanced fuels, additives and technologies. Synergy was at work; the award was announced shortly after UD created the von Ohain Fuels and Combustion Center in the School of Engineering. Now more than ever, faculty and UDRI researchers are collaborating on research and teaching. Last year 80 faculty, most in the School of Engineering, conducted sponsored research; additionally, 16 UDRI researchers held joint appointments in the School, dozens taught courses as adjunct professors and many served as graduate student advisers. “Faculty researchers conduct basic research and discover new knowledge, while UDRI researchers ask, ‘How can we make practical use of this knowledge so there’s some value or economic outcome?’” said Mickey McCabe, vice president for research and UDRI’s executive director.
See Collaboration, Page 11
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Campus Report Sept. 1, 2006
runways; advanced telescope systems for the space shuttle; developed a “smart dipstick”; tested armor to protect soldiers and equipment from enemy fire; improved jet fuels; certified sulkies for harness racing; and developed technologies that have made aircraft safer to fly. UDRI has succeeded also through its ability to quickly respond to customers and adapt to change. “Researchers who get sentimental about their work get stale and ultimately are not successful,” Leland noted. “You have to cleave yourself from those things, take another risk and move on to the next thing.” UDRI did that when faced with a low point in federally funded research. Before 2001, the Institute hadn’t managed to compete with Ohio’s
at 50
UDRI has materials research down to a science Blaine West didn’t know anything about aircraft windshields until 1975 when he met with Air Force engineers worried about a new trend: The Air Force was losing an aircraft every eight months because of birds, geese and ducks striking aircraft windshields during low-level flying. “It was obvious that the failure was related to the support frame’s stiffness and that strength was a problem,” said West, now a retired researcher from the University of Dayton Research Institute. The solution: Make the system stronger by making it weaker. “We made the windshield support very elastic, less rigid, so it ‘gave with the punch’ — and dumped more of the load on the total structure,” explained Dale Whitford, a retired colleague of West’s. West, Whitford and other UDRI researchers studied these materials and improved the system, which was retrofitted into the entire Air Force F-111 fleet by the late 1970s, and later, nearly
every fleet of Air Force fighter aircraft. Since then, the Air Force has credited UDRI with saving more than $1 billion in aircraft losses and the lives of many pilots. Discovering how and why materials fail is one of many kinds of materials research UDRI has performed during the past five decades. Today more than half of UDRI’s sponsored research is in materials; annually, materials research volume exceeds $37 million. “Everything around us ... is made of materials such as glass, rubber, metals, ceramics, textiles, adhesives, sealants, electronics, coatings, lubricants and fuels as well as plastics and other polymers,” said Mickey McCabe, vice president for research and UDRI’s executive director. The more researchers know about materials and their properties, the more they can help engineers improve the systems and products already in use or invent new ones. “We do our work in the background to make
things better, so you won’t find UDRI’s name on the end products,” McCabe said. “But without our contributions, the end products wouldn’t be there.” Materials research began at UDRI in 1957 under a $10,000 Air Force contract to define the properties of new structural materials destined for aircraft of the future. UDRI researchers used equipment at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to develop tests and standards for reinforced plastics and adhesive bonds. Charles “Bob” Andrews, a retired UDRI researcher, started and built materials research at the Institute. “The Materials Lab (at the base) was always at the forefront of materials research nationally,” Andrews said. “Plastics to lighten aircraft. Adhesives to assemble aircraft. Armor protection of nose cones. High-temperature materials for high-speed flight and reentry.” Andrews got UDRI in on the ground floor of research in composite materials: strong, lightweight materials developed by embedding glass or carbon fibers in a polymer or plastic matrix. Since the 1950s, UDRI researchers have made composites stronger, lighter and able to withstand ever-higher temperatures. UDRI researchers have advanced materials technologies by studying fibers for parachutes and spacesuits, lubricants in jet engines operating
See Materials, Page 10
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Other UDRI research
Although more than half of UDRI’s research volume is in materials, other significant research efforts encompass structures, fuels and energy, aerospace mechanics and information technology. Examples include: n Impact testing of transparent armor to better protect soldiers on the battlefield n Crash simulations to determine whether aircraft “black box” data recorders will survive upon impact n Nondestructive evaluation testing and ultrasonic inspection
technologies for aircraft components and other structures n Studies of foreign-object damage, including impacts of birds, ice, hail, sand particles and pebbles, on aircraft and aircraft components n Repair techniques and technologies to improve the reliability and maintainability of aging aircraft and keep them safe to fly n Flight load studies to improve aircraft inspection and maintenance schedules n Human factors research and
engineering n Usability testing of handheld computers and personal digital devices n Web site accessibility for people who are seeing-impaired n Testing of automotive components, such as transmission systems n Design and development of electronic test systems n Software development n Design, analysis and modeling of next-generation aerospace systems and vehicles
n Computer modeling of fuels and combustion processes n Lubricant analysis for power and transportation systems n Modeling and simulation of mechanical, structural and electrical components n Environmental research and remediation n Studies on emissions and environmentally friendly incineration processes n Sensors development and sensors data analysis and interpretation Sept. 1, 2006 Campus Report
History, from Page 8 largest universities for state-funded research, but that changed: Since 2003, UD has captured approximately $16 million in Ohio Third Frontier Project awards — a program that UDRI helped craft — which funds research with the potential to produce economic development. During the past few years, UDRI also began pursuing the maintenance side of the Air Force. “We’ve had up to four researchers at a time
Materials, from Page 9 at high temperatures and high speeds, space materials in simulated space environments, materials for high-energy lasers, incineration methods, contaminants in refrigerants, aerospace power components and systems, time-release fertilizers, cutting and polishing methods for semiconductor materials, aircraft repair using adhesives and composites, rapid-setting cement, coatings to fight corrosion on aircraft, “crash dummy” material similar to a human rib cage, and infrared sensors for detecting objects at night, as well as the solar destruction of toxic wastes, the design and manufacture of rocket parts from high-temperature composites and the survivability of ceramic materials. UDRI researchers have also developed and improved materials, learned how to manufacture and apply them, explored their compatibility, designed systems using materials, discovered the environmental impacts of materials and predicted their lifespan. “Very few research organizations can do all that,” said UDRI Director John Leland. That range of capabilities, plus the volume of materials research UDRI performs for the Air Force, are reasons why UD ranks No. 2 among U.S. colleges and universities for industry- and government-funded materials research. “If it weren’t for the Air Force, we wouldn’t be in that lofty No. 2 position nationally,” McCabe said. UDRI’s reputation has allowed it to attract top-notch researchers. “No matter what the material, chances are we have someone here
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troubleshooting aircraft problems on site at Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Georgia, and just as many back in Dayton solving problems affecting the entire fleet,” said Michael Bouchard, aerospace mechanics division head. Even as UDRI gains limelight in new territories, its research relationship with WrightPatterson Air Force Base remains “by far the most important relationship we have with any customer,” Leland said. “Our strong culture of collaboration, the technical capabilities of our
staff and our aggressive pursuit of new technologies has caused the Air Force to see great value in working with our researchers, and we’ve leveraged that over the last 50 years to attract millions of dollars in additional research funding from both industry and government. Without that relationship with Wright-Patt, we wouldn’t be where we are today.” A timeline of highlights from UDRI’s history appears at http://universityofdayton.blogs.com/newsinfo/2006/08/udri_50.html
who’s nationally or internationally recognized in that area,” McCabe said. Most recently, the University wooed world-renowned scholar Liming Dai, the first Wright Brothers Institute Endowed Chair in Nanomaterials at the University of Dayton, to lead research and education in nanomaterials here and at the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson. Nanomaterials are made with nanosized particles 5 to 10 atoms in size. Nanotechnology promises to make materials lighter, stronger and more durable and even conduct heat or electricity. UDRI’s first breakthrough came in 2001, when a researcher working at the base discovered how to disperse carbon nanofibers easily and uniformly into a polymer material — in this case, a sealant — to make it electrically conductive. “We soon realized that this technique would work on hard plastics, adhesives — virtually anything,” Leland said. “The impact is huge. We have a technology no one else has.” The potential applications for nanomaterials are pervasive, he said. For example, nanomaterials used to make the plastic case of a cell phone conduct electricity would provide the necessary “shielding” to protect the phone from interference, while making it smaller and lighter. Leland envisions lighter cars that get better gas mileage; electrically conductive wire made of plastic instead of copper; and sensors inside human cells that help physicians deliver drugs or fight disease. UDRI’s nanotechnology research also is creating new jobs in Ohio. In 2004, UDRI’s nanotechnology was licensed to a startup
company, Akron-based NanoSperse, which formulates nanomaterials for products needed by the military, industry and other customers. “We already have more than 70 product formulations on the market as prototype materials,” said Art Fritts, NanoSperse president. In the meantime, UDRI researchers in the magnetics lab are setting world records in energy levels with nanocomposite magnets, which will enable faster and smaller computer hard drives, more efficient hybrid and hydrogenpowered automobiles, and improved communication, electronic and medical devices. And this year, UDRI received state funding to develop low-cost tooling products made with polymer nanocomposites instead of steel. “If a metal die costs $1 million and takes a year to get from China, we’re looking at machining that in the U.S. from polymer nanocomposites in just four or five months, which reduces the cost to about $400,000,” said Larrell Walters, UDRI’s director of technology partnerships. “Because that allows the U.S. to be quicker to market, we’d gain a competitive edge.” “The materials research we’ve performed over the years either has already touched people’s lives, or we hope someday it will touch people’s lives,” Leland said. “That’s our goal as a research institute.” Teresa Zumwald, a Dayton-area freelance writer, wrote The University of Dayton Research Institute, Sponsored Research: 40 Years of Progress 1956-1996. Some material in this article and the accompanying ones is drawn from interviews conducted for that book.
Collaboration, from Page 8 Ballal said fruitful collaborations result when faculty participate in research routinely — not just between semesters. Mechanical and aerospace engineering professor Jamie Ervin, who holds a joint appointment at UDRI, began in research years ago by solving heat-transfer-related problems at Ballal’s request. Today Ervin is using his fundamental knowledge to study ways to extend the freezing point of fuel so jets can fly at high altitudes safely for longer times. “Without applying these fundamental principles, solving this applied research problem would be a trial-and-error process,” Ballal said. UDRI Director John Leland said collaboration has helped the University win more federal and state research funds. For example, Andrew Sarangan, associate professor of electro-optics, is working with L3 Cincinnati Electronics to advance infrared imaging. Sarangan already has developed a micro-lens technology for advanced infrared cameras used by L3 customers for surveillance, battlefield, and search and rescue applications. “Besides administrative and financial support from UDRI, we get access to researchers with many years of technical experience,” Sarangan said. “And if I need to use a UDRI lab for a few minutes, it’s no problem.” UDRI routinely pitches faculty expertise in proposals. In 2005, UD captured $5.8 million of a $22.5 million award for a Wright Center of Innovation in polymer nanotechnology research, another Third Frontier program. “We wouldn’t have received the funding we did without faculty and UDRI collaborating,” said Allan Crasto, head of UDRI’s nonmetallic materials division. Faculty and UDRI researchers can’t stop talking about the “NEST collaboration,” which led to UD’s Nanoscale Engineering Science & Technology Laboratory in 2004. Crasto said every aspect of this lab — from fund-
ing, planning and design through equipment selection, implementation and operation — came to life through a “remarkable collaboration by UD standards” with UDRI, the School of Engineering, the College of Arts and Sciences and others. “No UD department by itself could have afforded this lab,” Crasto said. “Because we hammered everything out together, we all feel ownership.” Faculty/UDRI collaborations are helping the University pursue interdisciplinary, emerging research areas such as chemical and biological sensors. On a research program to detect bioagents in drinking water, Jay Johnson, UDRI’s group leader of chemical and biological sensors, is working with biology professor and chair Jayne Robinson, who is developing and improving E. coli assays. On another program to build nanoparticlebased sensors and probes for biological cells, Johnson is collaborating with associate professor of biology Marie Claude-Hofmann, who is determining how sensors and probes interact with cells. Academics benefit when faculty and UDRI collaborate on research. “The teaching has an impact on the research, which has an impact on the teaching,” Sarangan noted. And that engages students, who enjoy enriched classroom experiences; some take advantage of opportunities to work on sponsored research, which 223 UD students did last year. Faculty and UDRI researchers say fostering more collaboration will require respecting cultural differences and strengths; adding faculty in certain departments to allow more time for research; providing sabbaticals for faculty research; and engaging faculty from the business and law schools. Above all, said Johnson, market push — not technology pull — will drive future collaborations. “It’s part of UDRI’s job to screen and match technologies on the academic side with need on the commercial side,” Johnson said. “To the extent that we have industrial need, we’ll have even more collaborations between faculty and UDRI.”
Fast facts about UDRI SPONSORED RESEARCH RANKINGS The University of Dayton and its Research Institute rank in: n Materials research funded by industry and government: No. 2 among the nation’s colleges and universities n Department of Defense research contracts and grants: No. 1 in Ohio and 14th in the nation among colleges and universities n Federally funded engineering research: No. 1 in Ohio and 13th in the nation among colleges and universities n Amount of nonmedical research:
No. 1 in the nation among Catholic universities n Engineering research funded by industry and government: No. 2 in Ohio and 23rd in the nation among public and private universities SPONSORED RESEARCH VOLUME n Total volume to date: $1.2 billion n Largest contract: $60 million awarded since 1995 under the Air Force’s Design and Engineering Support Program contract to improve the reliability and maintainability of the Air Force’s aging aircraft fleet
n Largest contract focused on a single technology: $31.5 million from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to improve conventional fuels and develop advanced fuels n Annual research volume: $70 million n Federal government research: 88 percent (2005) n Industrial research: 12 percent (2005)
UDRI EMPLOYMENT n Total employees: 401 n Full-time employees: 381 n Total researchers: 220 n Full-time researchers: 203 n UD graduate students: 59 n UD undergraduate students: 59
CUSTOMERS n Current number of federal government customers: 30 n Current number of industrial customers: 508
TECHNOLOGY COMMERCIALIZATION n Patents held by UD/UDRI: 180 n Licensing agreements for UD/ UDRI-developed technology: 128
LABORATORIES n Campus, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Hill Air Force Base and Warner Robins Air Logistics Center
Sept. 1, 2006 Campus Report 11
take a break with…
Mark Masthay Chemistry chair brings eye for research
Mark Masthay steps into his new position as chair of the chemistry department bringing with him research that may one day help cure a debilitating eye disease and determine a cause of lung and prostate cancers. Masthay, who spent the past 10 years as a chemistry professor at Murray State University in Kentucky, is researching the process in the eye that leads to macular degeneration, an incurable disease and the leading cause of blindness for those 55 and older. Macular degeneration is caused by the deterioration of the central portion of the retina. “My students and I are looking at a protein called bacteriorhodopsin that’s very similar chemically to rhodopsin, the protein in the rod and cone cells of the eye, which absorbs light and initiates the visual process,” Masthay said. “Although rhodopsin is designed to absorb light, it generates small amounts of toxic compounds at the same time. Over a long period of time, these toxic compounds induce the damage to the retina, which is characteristic of macular degeneration.” Masthay’s work, which has been funded by the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health, involves exposing the protein to laser and ultraviolet light and looking at the chemical changes that take place. “If we can figure out the changes that occur in the protein, we may be able to develop strategies to prevent similar changes in the eye and then prevent or alleviate macular degeneration,” Masthay said. Masthay’s other research involves the ways in which carotenes — the orange compounds in yellow fruits and vegetables — impact the development of cancer. “Although carotenes in their native form help to prevent cancer and cardiovascular disease, the compounds to which they convert in the body may actually cause cancer,” Masthay said. “We’re studying the way these compounds change upon exposure to light, as we believe the products produced may be similar or identical to the harmful compounds produced in the body.” Masthay’s work may have particular application to lung and prostate cancers. Beyond the opportunity to advance his research at UD, Masthay said “what really turned the crank” for him was the University’s Nanoscale Engineering, Science and Technology Center, which boasts some of the latest equipment for nanofabrication and nanochar-
acterization and serves as a focal
point for Editable only oncollaborative research between academic departments the master page and the University of Dayton
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Research Institute. “When I first interviewed here, I was wrapping up a research project and realized I needed an Atomic Force Microscope, which provides a three-dimensional surface topography image of a chemical sample,” Masthay said. “The only people I knew personally who had one were in Germany, yet here was one readily available at the NEST Center and I thought, ‘This place is far beyond most schools comparable in size.’” UD’s four-year-old master’s program in chemistry was also a big draw because he hopes to grow the program and create a niche in the curriculum for writing. That’s not an emphasis that immediately comes to mind
when people think of chemistry, but Masthay believes the two go hand-in-hand. “I’m pretty intense about science, but I’m also a communicator by nature, and not all scientists are that way,” Masthay said. “Many students need a technical writing course to make them more proficient. After all, even if you’re the world’s best chemist but can’t communicate what you’ve done, it won’t benefit society.” —Linda Robertson
Philip Anloague 26 students, six cadavers: physical therapy doctoral program is up and running
Philip Anloague, director of UD’s new doctor of physical therapy program, thinks the inaugural class of 26 students will be surprised by the amount of detective work their profession will require. “In physical therapy, the diagnostic process is different than a medical model,” Anloague said. “We’re forced to think mechanically. We know someone is experiencing pain and dysfunction. From variables such as anatomy, movement, recreation and occupation, we figure out what’s leading to their problems. Students don’t necessarily realize the thought process that goes into the interventions and exercises we design.” Like detective work, physical therapy practice focuses on evidence. “Our challenge is to stay on top of research and teach what’s supported by evidence,” said Anloague, whose research interests include the anatomical variations in the femoral nerve and how they relate to low-back pain, “but never forget about the patient and the practical experience we can bring to the classroom.”
Seven faculty members in the health and sport science department will be associated with the program, including five who are certified clinical specialists and bring expertise in orthopedics, pediatrics, neurology and general medicine. Anloague, who earned his doctor of health science degree at the University of St. Augustine, Fla., also serves as the program’s orthopedic coordinator. He specializes in treatment of the spine and has been teaching and practicing for more
than 10 years. “I came from a family of physicians, and it was predetermined that I was going to be a doctor because that’s what everyone else did.” But as the son of an emergency room physician, Anloague knew that career demanded sacrifices of family life. “I didn’t necessarily want to follow that path,” said the father of two boys and Little League coach. Physical therapy attracted him, he said, because it’s a health care profession that uses different means for helping patients and deemphasizes drugs and surgery. It’s also an in-demand profession, with a 0.2 percent unemployment rate nationally. The region’s shortage of physical therapists led the Greater Dayton Hospital Association to contribute $1.1 million toward launching the UD program, which replaced Andrews University’s master of physical therapy program. “It was a fortuitous situation. We were able to laterally transfer the program from one university to another and maintain accreditation — after extensive documentation and review,” Anloague said about the UD program, which the Ohio Board of Regents approved in May. “We did not have to reinvent the wheel. We have 10 years of outcomes, experience and data.” UD’s program is located on the second floor of College Park Center, where all-new facilities — classrooms, offices, labs and a fitness assessment center — have been constructed for the School of Education and Allied Professions. In the weeks before the start of classes, Anloague was busy setting up exercise equipment, 15 therapeutic tables and cadaver dissection tanks, and preparing six cadavers that came from Wright State University’s anatomical gift program. The cadavers, which are referred to by their donors’ first names, come with information sheets that may include occupation and medical history but are not always comprehensive. “We have to do some detective work. We might find pacemakers, gall stones, knee replacements and even breast implants,” he said. He thinks that the new physical therapy program, which emphasizes the connection of mind, body and spirit, aligns well with the mission and strengths of the University and the health and sport science department. “Physical therapists are educators every day, teaching patients about their pathology. Half the battle is helping them to understand why they have this pain or dysfunction. In working so closely with patients, there’s a spiritual element as well. We recognize the complete, whole person.”
Kathleen Webb Information searches still thrill dean of libraries When Kathleen Webb, the new dean of University libraries, describes the twists her career has taken, “sometimes people’s jaws go slack,” she said. “They ask, ‘how did that happen?’” The abstract: Webb, who majored in health planning and administration and thought she might like to work in a nursing home, instead spent a few years working in marketing and development for Washington, D.C., nonprofit agencies, where she discovered, “I really loved research. I liked looking for information.” When her husband accepted a position in California, Webb enrolled at UCLA and earned a master’s in library science, specializing in information systems design. After reference librarian stints at Sinclair Community College and the Dayton Metro Libraries, she joined the University in 1993 as government documents librarian. When the University launched the search for the next dean of libraries, Webb, then head of client services, was asked to serve on the search committee and then — after the search was suspended — as interim dean. During what was intended to be a temporary position, Webb delivered results: improving facilities, strengthening campus collaborations and leading a strategic planning process. She was appointed to a three-year term as dean on July 1. “In 18 months, my life has completely changed,” she said, crediting “the amazing library staff and incredible support from the provost’s council” as sparks that led her to take the job. Webb is now responsible for administering the University Library, the Marian Library, the International Marian Research Institute and University archives, overseeing a collection of more than 1 million volumes and managing a $4.3 million budget and 48-member staff. She takes the helm at a time when technology is changing the shape and content of academic libraries worldwide. “The explosion of full-text databases, numerical data and satellite data — resources that used to be available at only the very largest academic libraries — are now readily available,” she said. The shared resources and rapid delivery of materials through OhioLINK, a consortium of Ohio’s college and university libraries and the State Library of Ohio, “have made the UD libraries the equivalent of any major research institution’s,” she said. “We have resources we never could have afforded.” Collective buying power and information sharing open new opportunities for UD’s libraries. The key is digitization. “We have a treasure trove of unique materials,” she said, noting UD’s eclectic holdings that range from the resources of the Marian Library, to the U.S. Catholic collection, to baseballiana. “We can make them freely available if we digitize them. ... It’s part of our strategic plan.” Central to that plan is serving the needs of students and contributing to the University’s academic mission, Webb said. Undergraduates can be reluctant to ask library faculty for help, often believing they should be able to find information on their own. But as Webb points out, “We have almost 200 See Webb, Page 14
Sept. 1, 2006 Campus Report 13
take a break with…
Jack McGrath, S.M. Pro Deo et patria ... et mundo
The Marianist tradition, according to McGrath, includes “an embracing of the faith, investigating it and integrating it into our lives and our participation in society.” It is also a tradition that has models in the examples of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and in Blessed William Joseph Chaminade, the founder of the Society of Mary. “The Marian dimension,” McGrath said, “provides an openness to whatever direction God’s presence makes manifest. And Mary showed fortitude in living out faith in difficult times. She persisted. She celebrated the poor and sought the welfare of all.” Chaminade trusted in Providence. So, McGrath said, “he lived out goals in whatever circum-
to find everywhere the same human nature, the same dignity. We are all created in the image and likeness of God.” So Catholics, McGrath said, “consider all peoples brothers and sisters, all fundamentally part of the same community.”
stances.” Although society changes rapidly, Chaminade “believed God to be present,” McGrath said. “No matter what else changes, His word can be heard.” —Thomas M. Columbus
Father Jack McGrath, S.M., is marking the year leading up to the 50th anniversary of his 1957 graduation from UD by beginning a three-year term as University professor of faith and culture, continuing to direct graduate studies in the religious studies department and chairing the Forum on the Catholic Intellectual Tradition Today. And, from now until December, he will be teaching Modern Catholicism in Bangalore, India, where 30 young Indian Marianists are studying in UD’s bachelor of arts in philosophy program. McGrath, who holds a Ph.D. from St. Michael’s College of the University of Toronto, is in his 20th year of teaching at UD after having served in the Marianist administration. At UD, he chaired the Forum on the Catholic Intellectual Tradition Today from 1991 to 2003 when Una Cadegan, associate professor of history currently on sabbatical, took over. The Forum is in the initial stages of planning a series of events called Pro Deo et mundo (“For God and the world”) to celebrate the Catholic Church in the United States moving in 1908 beyond missionary status overseen by the Propagation of the Faith to become a mature church under the jurisdiction of the regular Vatican congregations. The celebration’s title resembles and is an expansion of the University’s motto, Pro Deo et patria (“For God and country”). Events are expected to begin in the fall 2007 term. McGrath envisions them as “investigating the state of U.S. Catholicism as it carries out its mission and exploring what U.S. Catholicism has been and could be.” The interdisciplinary nature of the Forum and of UD’s doctoral program in theology, which focuses on the church in a U.S. context, yields several perspectives for such explorations. The doctoral program has about two dozen students and the master’s program about 140 students, according to McGrath. The numbers of applicants are increasing. Twelve doctoral students were accepted for the current year; the department was able to award four assistantships. “The master’s program last year,” McGrath said, “had 46 applications for seven assistantships.” Both the Forum’s Pro Deo et mundo linking God and the world and UD’s motto linking God and country flow from the University’s connection to Roman Catholicism. “A Catholic identity,” McGrath said, “leads you to a certain understanding of humanity that gives you the presumption of unity to humanity. We expect
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Webb, from Page 13 databases. Nobody is born knowing how to use them.” As electronic information opens up space formerly devoted to shelving volumes, staff members are considering how to best configure the 35-year-old building to support 21st-century learning and teaching. “Roesch Library is a difficult building to change,” Webb conceded, citing heating, ventilation, air conditioning and asbestos concerns. “It’s challenging, but not impossible.” Leading the staff through change is one of the strengths Webb believes she brings to her new position. Because she’s done many library jobs, from shelving books to fielding reference questions, “I have a sense of how different actions and decisions can affect people’s jobs,” she said. “People and their feelings about how they approach their work are important to me.” She also has a knack for bringing together people on campus who have common interests. “I see connections between people and processes fairly well,” she said. Webb had the opportunity to explore those strengths when she and Patricia Hart, director of the Berry Scholars and Honors programs, were selected to participate in the monthlong Summer Institute for Women in Higher Education at Bryn Mawr. “Just to have that time by yourself was powerful,” said Webb, the oldest of six children who briefly had a room of her own once when she was 20. “So was the experience of forming a community with 71 other women who were incredibly talented and passionate about their work and who shared their professional and personal expertise.” Webb has never lost the passion that comes with helping others find information. She describes it as “the thrill of a treasure hunt,” which explains why one of her hobbies is Geocaching – an adventure game where players use handheld Global Positioning System units and latitude and longitude coordinates to find caches and rewards. “It’s the idea of seeking and eventually finding. Often you’re helping someone who is so happy you’ve found just the information they need and,” she said, recalling the students she has assisted, “often just in time.”
Lisa Melton
noteworthy
Lisa Melton ’04 has a gift. You can hear it in her voice. It’s low and confident, conveying the wisdom she’s gained in engineering and public speaking with an assurance that teaching is her calling. Within the decade, Melton, 25, will be using that gift to teach University of Dayton engineering students. In January, she became the first alumna to accept an offer that will allow her to earn a doctoral degree and the School of Engineering to diversify its faculty. For Melton, it’s an opportunity to fulfill her thirst for knowledge. “I love the idea of it,” she said. “It makes me excited about it, to get up each day and go to the labs and spend hours and hours.” The program identifies exceptional undergraduates, offers them a UD master’s education, and then pays tuition, fees and a stipend to any doctoral program in the country. In exchange, Melton will return to teach at UD for the number of years equaling her Ph.D. education. As a member of the National Society of Black Engineers, Melton is aware of the international shortage of black Ph.D.s. According to the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education,
The future face of engineering faculty
blacks earned 1.4 percent of all engineering doctoral degrees in 2003. At UD, she had no female engineering professors, and her sole black role model was physics professor Andrew Evwaraye. So she turned to other undergraduate students within civil engineering to form study and social groups. The School’s Minority Engineering Program ensured that she connected with other black students during her first two years, and the STARS program, a state initiative, provided her with early opportunities for research. Melton weathered constant doubts and
Just as the United States increasingly competes for jobs with China and India, Western Europe faces similar struggles, with jobs migrating from France to Poland and Bulgaria. Tim Ilg, associate professor of educational leadership, had the opportunity to discuss the impact of those trends during the Fulbright International Summer Institute held in Borovets, Bulgaria, in August. Ilg was one of 11 lecturers selected from Bulgarian, European and U.S. universities, including Harvard University and the University of Michigan, to teach in the academic and cultural program created by the Bulgarian-American Fulbright Commission in 2002. This was the second time that Ilg has successfully competed to teach in the Fulbright Institute. He previously taught in Bulgaria in 2003. His interest in the region dates from his earlier work with UD’s School of Education and Allied Professions’ partnership with the University of Sofia aimed at training principals. Ilg delivered an intensive two-week course, “Is the World Really Flat: Impact of Globalization on American and European Economies,” to 32 undergraduate and graduate students. Typically in their 20s, the students came from 10 countries, including Bulgaria, Russia, Poland, Lithuania and Slovenia. “You meet students who are coming from places where universities are not well-funded,” Ilg said. “You recognize these students are very well-prepared. They speak and write excellent English. If the world indeed
the competitive nature of the program by listening to those around her who reinforced her ability to succeed. Such support came from her mother, B.J. Melton, and several aunts, all of whom have graduate degrees. As a graduate student, she’s already becoming a role model for other young black engineers, she said. As a professor, she hopes to offer visibility to a career in education and research to female and minority students. Melton came to UD from Southfield High School near Detroit. After her civil engineering undergraduate degree, she was hired as a project manager for Marathon Ashland Petroleum in Findlay, Ohio. She enjoyed her job but knew graduate work in environmental engineering was her passion. “I love to be able to go out into the field, collect data and samples, and go back into the lab and theoretically figure out what is going on,” she said. —Michelle Tedford
is becoming flat, there are some talented people out there who are hungry to do well.” Ilg found it “extremely exhilarating to be challenged by young people with different views. They have definite thoughts about world dominance and the U.S. role.” Joan McGuinness Wagner, director of Marianist strategies at the University of Dayton, received the Bishop John King Mussio Award from her alma mater, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, Aug. 5 at its alumni awards dinner in recognition of her outstanding service to the Church. She has promoted the values of the Catholic faith through her work with Marriage Encounter, Engaged Encounter, the Diocese of Columbus, the National Association of Catholic Family Life Ministers and the University of Dayton. Patricia A. Erbaugh, human resources assistant in the military science department at UD, has been selected by the U.S. Army Cadet Command as the top human resources assistant in the entire command for 2006. She will receive the USACC Incentive Award for Excellence, which recognizes top performers. Erbaugh’s job includes maintaining all cadet records and completing personnel actions for the staff and cadets. “I have spent my entire civil service career, 39 years, at this job and have received numerous performance awards, promotions and recognitions from various organizations for a job well done,” Erbaugh said. The USACC award “is by far the most rewarding honor.” Sept. 1, 2006 Campus Report 15
Labor Day No classes; University offices closed
Friday, Sept. 8
Faculty meeting 3 p.m., Boll Theatre Reception following in the Torch Lounge
Sunday, Sept. 10
Second Sunday Faculty Artist Series 3 p.m., Sears Recital Hall Song Cycles
Thursday, Sept. 14
Diversity Lecture Series 8 p.m., Kennedy Union ballroom Azar Nafisi, author of Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books Dayton Christian Jewish Dialog 7:30 p.m., Alumni Hall 101 Father Francios Rossier, S.M., will discuss The Da Vinci Code.
Friday, Sept. 15
Academic senate meeting 3 p.m., Kennedy Union 331
Sunday, Sept. 24
Gospel Music Workshop Concert 4 p.m., Kennedy Union ballroom Conducted by Donna Cox
Friday, Sept. 29
Sigma Xi fall social 4-5:30 p.m., Science Center Atrium Researchers are invited to display posters of recent work and presentations. R.S.V.P. to Robert.Wilkens@notes.udayton.edu.
Monday, Oct. 2
The Things They Carried 8 p.m., Boll Theatre Dashiell Eaves presents this one-man stage adaptation of Tim O’Brien’s book of the same title. Free but tickets are required. Contact Anne.Pici@notes.udayton.edu. 16 Campus Report Sept. 1, 2006
Arts Series focuses on fusion
Fusion is the focus of the University of Dayton’s 2006-07 Arts Series, which will feature performances that explore new territory and create new sounds. Tickets for individual performances are $14 for the public, $8 for UD faculty, staff and alumni, and $5 for students. For tickets, call the UD box office at 229-2545. First up this season is Burnt Sugar: The Arkestra Chamber at 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30, in Kennedy Union Boll Theatre. The East Coast improvisational ensemble fuses jazz, R&B, funk and African rhythms and was founded in 1999 by former Dayton residents Greg Tate and Jared Nickerson. See http://www.burntsugarindex.com. Burnt Sugar will also conduct a series of workshops with students from the University of Dayton and Stivers School for the Arts. Burnt Sugar n MUSE, a 60-member women’s choir from Cincinnati, will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19, in the Immaculate Conception Chapel. The group started in 1984 and performs gospel, folk, jazz, and blues. MUSE has produced three recordings, most recently Growing Into Our Roots in 2005. n The Azmari Quartet, inspired by the Aramaic verb meaning “to sing,” will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, in Boll Theatre. The string quartet of graduates of the Cleveland Institute of Music will explore the classical and contemporary sounds of the 20th century. n Arm of the Sea Theatre, a mask and puppet theater group, takes the stage at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3, in Boll Theatre with “La Consecha” (The Harvest). The group includes themes such as immigrant workers, Native American practices, Greek tragedies and Jewish traditions. Performances are conducted in both English and Spanish and include live music. n Oni Buchanan performs “Poetry in Piano” at 8 p.m. Friday, March 23, in Boll Theatre, celebrating the lyric works of such composers as Ravel, Scriabin and Liszt. The University will also host the World Rhythms Series, presented in conjunction with Cityfolk. General admission tickets are $18; seniors, UD faculty, staff and alumni $16; students $9. Performances will be held in Boll Theatre and include: n Aurelio Martinez 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16 Hailing from Honduras, Martinez blends the African and Latin acoustic roots of the Caribbean. n Jean Paul Samputu and Ingeli 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1 A master percussionist, Rwanda’s Samputu sings in six different languages while serving up a rhythmic fusion of Rwandan dance music, soukous and Afro-beat. n Kiran Ahluwalia 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 21 India’s ancient art is reinvented by Ahluwalia, who specializes in both folk songs from the Punjab and ghazals, a form of sung poetry of Persian origin. The series also includes a special event, the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble, at 8 p.m. Friday, March 2, at the Dayton Masonic Center. Based in Budapest, this ensemble dances in colorful, authentic costumes with an effect The New York Times calls “unreservedly brilliant.” For special event pricing and tickets, call Cityfolk at 496-3863.
Aurelio Martinez
Sept.’06
comingattractions
Monday, Sept. 4